Tuesday, January 17, 2017

A Guatemalan embrace of the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Former Guatemalan PresidentJorge Serrano Elías

In recognition of the celebration of the life of Rev.
Martin Luther King, and the

remembrance of his “I Have a Dream” address, former
Guatemalan president Jorge Serrano Elías, with his own checkered past of constitutional
violations while in office, (‘Google’ his name for more information on his life
and presidency) posted a Guatemalan version of Dr. King’s famous speech to
social media. I can’t endorse Mr. Serrano (or his ghost writers) given the fact
that, as of this writing, he lives in Costa Rica, resisting extradition back to
Guatemala to stand trial for corruption. I can however, endorse the spirit of
this celebration of historic words that changed a country forever. Looking at
them again, now, after 53 years - and in a Guatemalan context, we are challenged
to dream of the possibilities for Guatemala, our country of service, as well as
reminding us of how far our country of origin, the U.S. has come in these 50+
years, and how more recent events remind us of how far we still have to go. I
hope you enjoy it.

50 years ago, in the most powerful country in the world, a leader of the
African American community, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., shared his community’s
dreams and inspired the whole nation to fight and defeat a structure of
oppression that seemed invincible, that oppressed an entire people, denied
their fundamental human rights and fundamental civil rights.

Guatemalan brothers and sisters, inspired by that example, I invite you to
dream…

We dream that our children can walk the streets and roads of our country
without fear of being killed, robbed or raped and to get on a bus without risk
of death. Let us dream that we can go to court and find justice without bribes
or coercion, and that it be the same for everyone, no matter how poor or
powerful the person who seeks it.

Let us dream that hospitals find answers to our ills and medicines to cure
them; that our children will no longer die due to the state's negligence in not
preventing disease and for neglecting the environment of misery in which the
poor live.

We dream that our children will have schools and educational opportunities,
so that they can enjoy access to a dignified life and join in the conscious
participation of the development of our country and its ethnic groups.

Let us dream that those who make the laws do so with the needs of the
people in mind and not only the interests of the powerful.

Let us dream that the wealth of our country will have a better fate than to
find its way to Miami or European bank accounts; and that rather it will serve
to provide employment to the needy, to meet the needs of every household, to
enable a dignified life for every Guatemalan, and finally serve to banish once
and for all, the extreme poverty and misery that shames and dishonors us.

Let us dream that looting and corruption by the state and the exploitation
of the poor and the trafficking of drugs, people and arms, with all that it
implies, will disappear from our land simply because Guatemalans want progress,
but not at the expense of our moral degradation.

We dream that our sisters and brothers will not have to emigrate; risking
their lives and living inhuman tragedies, in a quest to seek security and opportunities
denied them their own homeland.

Let us dream that cultural differences will never again be cause for
discrimination against indigenous peoples and ethnic groups; and who can
finally live in justice and peace, respecting and enjoying, orderly and judiciously,
the resources God has given us.

Let us dream that we will protect the environment, aware that this is the
space in which we, our children, our grandchildren and future generations will
live; so their conservation and recovery represents an inescapable
responsibility, especially with the generations who come after us.

Let us dream that, with the work of all, Guatemalan goodwill oriented in
love, we can overcome these problems and above all, restore the good name that
our country deserves but has been lost in the community of nations.

Dreams like these, that seemed impossible in the United States 50 years
ago, became a reality for a people's faith in a God who was always the guarantor
of their freedom, and the inspiration of men of faith like Martin Luther King,
who made it possible for the nation to break those barriers and come to true
brotherhood between black and white, giving the key steps towards achieving
those dreams.

The people of Guatemala have faith in God and understand that to overcome the
hatred, resentment and selfishness that oppress and denigrates us is
fundamental for solidarity and brotherly love, understanding between rich and
poor, as well as between all ethnicities and nations, and between practitioners
of the different faiths that are practiced in our country, and to preach the
love and the fear of God.

Protesters demonstrating against government corruption."Yes, we have the right to dream"

1 comment:

Let us dream that those who make the laws do so with the needs of the people in mind and not only the interests of the powerful.That is a worthy dream everywhere. I hope there are some actual changes that make it possible.

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Richard and Debbie Welch

PC(USA) Mission Co-Workers in Guatemala

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